Alright, let's talk Injury Prevention and Safety. This is a broad topic that covers a number of separate but interrelated subjects. So, I'll break them down one at a time and explain how I think you should approach training your teaching assistants on each topic.

Emergency Procedures

The very first thing you should train your new instructor trainee on is emergency procedures. This includes everything from what to do when someone is seriously injured in class or on premises, to what to do if there is a fire or crime committed on premises.

To this end, you should have a basic overarching procedure that needs to be followed in case of an emergency. For example:

Step 1 - Is someone seriously hurt, or is a crime being committed? Call 911.

Step 2 - Does first aid or CPR need to be performed? Act immediately.

Step 3 - Have paramedics or police arrived on scene? Once they take over, start contacting people on the emergency contact list (school owner, parents if a child was involved and they aren't present, etc.)

Step 4 - Once the incident is over, immediately fill out an incident report form*, mark the time, sign it and date it, and submit it to your immediate supervisor...

I think you get the point. By having a list of procedures to follow in an emergency, you can (hopefully) ensure that things don't go haywire when an emergency occurs. 

CPR/First Aid

This is an easy one. Simply send all your employees (including office staff) to a combined CPR/First Aid course, or host one at your studio and make it mandatory to attend for all staff. Require a current CPR/First Aid certification as a condition of continued employment, and document that all employees have been notified of that requirement.

Also, I strongly suggest that you purchase or rent an AED (automatic external defibrillator) and mount it on the wall in a conspicuous place. Make sure all your staff are trained on using an AED. They are a lifesaver and in recent years the cost has come down enough to make them affordable, even for a small business.

Proper Warm-up and Stretching

This should be covered in any decent personal trainer or fitness instructor course. So if you take my advice and send your teaching staff through such a course, then chances are good they will learn how to conduct a safe warm-up.

However, you still need to cover it with them in their initial training. I've seen a lot of improper warm-ups in my time, and while younger adults and kids can get away with it most adults past thirty can't. So, you need to train your instructors on how to warm a class up safely.

As a baseline level of knowledge, teach your assistants that beginning a class with stretches is a no-no. Instead, classes should start with an active warm-up that mimics the movements that will be performed in class. If necessary, stretching and flexibility training should be done at the end of class, or if it's part of that day's lesson plan, post warm-up.

Recognizing Hazardous Situations

Also, instructors need to know how to recognize when students are showing signs of fatigue, heat exhaustion, and dehydration. These can lead to injury when students are allowed to continue training past the point of exhaustion.

I understand that in certain circumstances (like during rank exams) that you're trying to take a student to the point of exhaustion. However, in all things we must balance training intensity with safety. Teach your instructors to use common sense, and make sure you are always present whenever forced exhaustion is a component of the training.

Likewise, train your instructors to recognize other dangerous situations, such as students who exhibit disruptive or bizarre behavior (you never know when someone is off their meds - I'm not kidding here). And, teach them your school's policies and limits on...

Level of Contact in Sparring and Required Gear

Injury and fear of injury rank way up there on the list of reasons why people quit martial arts. So, you need to have a system of progression for teaching people how to spar safely, including progressive resistance based on experience level and limits of contact.

This curriculum should also include and document required safety gear. Instructors should be told that under no circumstances will any student be allowed to spar without the proper safety gear.**

Finally, teach instructors when and how to intervene when sparring gets out of control. Teach them how to recognize heightened levels of emotional excitement, teach them how that can impact a person's contact control, and teach them to always step in when it happens.

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Implementing the above in your instructor training program will definitely help keep your students safe and improve overall class morale. When students know that the instructors are looking out for their welfare, they tend to stick around longer and they tend to show more school loyalty as well.

Just remember to document everything! That way you'll have it ready the next time you need to train a new assistant, and you can also prove that you trained your staff on safety and injury prevention, should you ever need to.